Jeep Wrangler vs Dodge Journey: which is more reliable?
The Dodge Journey is clearly ahead of the Jeep Wrangler on the federal record: 74/100 against 58/100 across every model year we score.
The record, side by side
Jeep Wrangler
- 10 model years scored
- 7,008 owner complaints on record
- about 82 complaints per year on the road
- 78 recall campaigns, 51 safety-critical
- best year 2015 (78/100) · worst 2018 (26/100)
Dodge Journey
- 10 model years scored
- 2,843 owner complaints on record
- about 28 complaints per year on the road
- 41 recall campaigns, 20 safety-critical
- best year 2020 (92/100) · worst 2015 (49/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Wrangler against Journey
The comparison that decides the purchase. A nameplate is not one car — a redesign can move the record sixty points inside two years, and the two nameplates rarely move together.
What owners actually complain about
Jeep Wrangler
- Steering — 2,225 complaints
- Electrical System — 1,181 complaints
- Power Train — 1,111 complaints
Dodge Journey
- Electrical System — 711 complaints
- Engine — 633 complaints
- Service Brakes — 511 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Wrangler's complaints concentrate in Steering, the Journey's in Electrical System. That difference matters more to a buyer than the score gap, because it says which repair bill you are taking on.
Years to avoid on each
Jeep Wrangler — avoid: 2018, 2019, 2020.
Dodge Journey — avoid: 2015.
A year scores below 45 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. Every car’s years to avoid.
What each costs today
A recent used Jeep Wrangler prices at about $28,800 and a Dodge Journey at about $26,600 — the Dodge Journey is roughly $2,200 less, and they return 20.0 against 21.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Jeep Wrangler or the Dodge Journey more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Dodge Journey scores 74/100 against the Jeep Wrangler's 58/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The Dodge Journey carries about 28 complaints per year on the road against 82 for the Jeep Wrangler.
Which Jeep Wrangler and Dodge Journey years should I avoid?
Jeep Wrangler: 2018, 2019, 2020. Dodge Journey: 2015. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Jeep Wrangler and the Dodge Journey?
The largest complaint group on the Jeep Wrangler is Steering (2,225 complaints); on the Dodge Journey it is Electrical System (711).
Is the Jeep Wrangler or the Dodge Journey cheaper to own?
A recent used Jeep Wrangler prices at about $28,800 and a Dodge Journey at about $26,600, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.